Fanning the Flames
by RockStarBarbie326
Summary: Raven Stone's proven herself as an expert manager: all her teams win gold. Her current team, Team Hell No, are the reigning champs as the Shield ignite a battle for the straps. Raven finds herself caught in the crossfire and winds up playing for the other team. Her budding friendships with two of the members begin to cause friction and inadvertantly finds herself fanning the flames
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

* * *

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 1**

**Raw**

Raw had just gotten under way when I made my way over to catering to meet up with two of my closest friends: Kaitlyn and Layla. We'd kind of made it a ritual to see each other early on in the show if our schedules and the card for the evening allowed. So there I am hanging out with the bubbly duo.

"Oh my gosh, Raven, don't turn around!" Kaitlyn squealed. I froze.

"What? Why!?" I whispered loudly.

"Your favorite ex-boyfriend is here!" Layla singsonged. I took a breath and turned around for a quick peak. Sure enough, with his bronzed skin and delicious tattoos, Randy was a mere ten feet behind me chatting up Sheamus. I was only staring for a moment when his eyes met mine. He smiled and began to walk over to our table.

"Hey stranger," I called out.

"Hey Rave, how ya been?"

"Not too shabby…as you know my boys are doing just fine with their titles so all is well in Raven's world!" I said proudly with a small smile.

"They couldn't do it without you. They are lucky to have you, you know."

"Oh, I know and I remind them of it every chance I get!" I joked. He chuckled.

"Some things never change about you," he said fondly.

"I like to think consistency is one of my good qualities."

"_One_ of your many great qualities, I'd agree." I smiled at him and he was quiet for a moment. "We should hang out soon."

"We really should. Text me about a day," I said almost flirtatiously.

"Alright, will do. I'll have to see you later, I've got to go get ready for my match," Randy replied softly.

"Alright. I'll see you later. Good luck out there tonight," I cooed.

"Thank you," he said before walking away.

"Holy cow! Sexual tension alert!" Layla said with a giggle. I waved her off dismissively.

"There is not!" I argued. "Just friends!"

"Are friends supposed to look at you like they want to rip your clothes off?" Kaitlyn teased.

"You guys suck!"

"But you still love us, Ray!" Layla spat giggling. "Are we all still on for drinks tonight?"

"You're damn right!" I said with a hint of excitement. As much as I loved my team, a night out with the girls sounded perfect.

"Hell yeah!" Kaitlyn cheered. I looked down at my phone at the time.

"Oh wow! Look at the time. I should be going. My boys have a match tonight. I'll see you girls after the show!"

"Alright, bye!"

"Bye!"

* * *

I walked down the hallway with a stern expression on my face. I wasn't as bubbly as the rest of the Diva's, a point that people seemed to point out often, especially the announcers. I didn't see it as a bad thing. I wasn't an unhappy person, I was just less smiley at work. I was a person of focus while in the confines of the arenas. Besides, in this business it works to your advantage for people to think you are a hard ass.

I made my way through the bustling halls to locate my pair of terror. Soon enough, I strode into the Team Hell No locker room.

"Hey boys," I said greeting them giving them both a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Raven, I'm so glad that you are here right now," Daniel said putting his hands on his hips.

"Me too!" Kane agreed. Both of them seemed to be quite heated. Not that this was anything new. They were two brilliant wrestlers but their personalities constantly clashed with one another which always kept life in Team Hell No interesting.

"Are you two fighting again?!" I whined.

"Well _Kane _here insinuated that _I _am the reason why we lost last week on Raw, but it isn't!"

"How _isn't_ it your fault? You got pinned! Ergo it was your fault!" Kane yelled back at him.

"Well if _you _would have been paying attention when _I _was reaching out to tag you, it wouldn't have happened at all!" He shot back.

"Well if-" I stood up and smacked them both on their shoulders simultaneously.

"Ow!" they both groaned.

"Stop it! Shut up! Please! You two need to get it together!" I said losing my cool. I flipped my long blonde and brown hair back in irritation.

"Yeah, Kane!"

"Don't look at me! We all know that you're the problem!" Kane snipped.

"Goddamnit! _Both_ of you are the problem! You _both _made mistakes last week that have really cost you in those matches. We need to work _together_ here, guys. A mediocre team can easily beat two amazing wrestlers who don't work together. You guys are amazing, the key to success here is being in sync with one another. So sync dammit!" I said sternly almost feeling like a mom. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Raven," they said together.

"Good…now hug it out!" I ordered.

"Aw man, do we have to?" Kane whined.

"Yes, you do. That's what Dr. Shelby would want you to do, isn't it?"

"I guess you're right, Rave," Daniel conceded.

"Alright, let's see that hug!" The two men reluctantly walked towards each other with outstretched arms. Eventually, they were close enough to wrap their arms around each other. "Like you mean it!" I instructed and they gave each other a quick squeeze before releasing each other. "See, that wasn't so hard!" I said with a laugh.

"How long are you going to keep making us hug each other?" Daniel asked.

"Until you guys can act like freaking adults!" I shot back.

"Fair enough," Kane acknowledged.

"Thank you. Now are you two ready to compete tonight? You really need to be on the same page _and _your a-game this time."

"_I'm _ready," Kane said first.

"Well _I'm_ also ready," D-Bry said proudly.

"I swear to god, you guys are going to be the death of me!" I said with a chuckle as I lead the boys down the corridor.

* * *

As much hell as they gave me sometimes they really were an awesome pair of guys. That's why I'd agreed to manage them in the first place. Whenever we were having a bad night, I always thought about why I was here doing this in the first place.

I'd managed a lot of tag teams over the past three and a half years that I'd been on the main roster. I'd managed such duos like ShowMiz, the team of Big Show and Kane, and even Airboom with Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston. I wrestled as well but not nearly as much as I'd like to. I've been too green but not anymore. I was finally reaching the point that I felt like I was ready to tear it up in the ring….I just hadn't been given the opportunity.

I'd met Daniel Bryan at FCW when we were training. We became pretty fast friends. He'd been giving me extra training on the side which was wonderful coming from a submission specialist like him. It had given me a pretty ridiculously lethal arsenal of submission moves. Then he got called to do the NXT season one and I got brought to the main roster. I'd become ShowMiz's manager shortly after. When he got brought up to the main roster after his Nexus tenure, we became fast friends again, him even continuing my training in our spare time. After AirBoom disbanded, I was lost in the shuffle. I struggled to find my footing as a singles wrestler in the division. Then I'd suffered an ankle injury and was out for a few months. Upon my return, Daniel had asked me if I was interested in taking on a new tag team. Of course I was, knowing it was Daniels team. I owed him a lot and if he needed a manager, I was his girl! Besides, I'd already worked with Kane and enjoyed it. So the three of us becoming a group was a mutually beneficial experience.

"Raven…RAY-VEN…Raven!" Kane called out waving a hand in front of my face.

"What?!" I said snapping out of my daze.

"Are you okay? They are about to cue our music," he said softly.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get 'em boys!" I said giving them both a football style congratulatory ass slap.

Kane's music sounded and the three of us headed out onto the stage.

* * *

The match was coming to a close as Kane choke slammed Jey Uso down onto the mat with a big thump. He went for the pin. 1...2...3!

I climbed into the ring with their tag titles in hand. I handed one to each of them proudly. I held their hands up in victory. The boys were all smiles. They were so happy that they even extended their arms for a hug. I was even more surprised when they actually went in for the hug itself. They looked over to me and each stuck an arm out in my directions, waving me to join them.

"No way!" I laughed.

"Come on! Hug it out!" Daniel cheered.

"This is a Team Hell No hug and you are team Hell No!" Kane spat.

"Oh alright!" I said walking towards them to join in the hug. The crowd cheered and that's when our music cut out and was replaced with the eerie music of the Shield. We slowly released the hug and looked at the crowd, waiting for the trio to emerge through the fans in the audience.

Dean and Seth came out on the left, Roman on the right. I stepped back almost instinctively, until I felt my back hit the ropes. Their intimidating presences continued to get closer and closer.

"Raven, get out of this ring! You'll be safer by the announce table!" Daniel insisted. My jaw dropped in offence.

"I'm not letting you guys take them on all on your own!" I insisted. "Kane!?" I said quickly looking for some backup.

"For once I agree with Daniel!"

"The one time!" I huffed as I exited the ring. I walked to the announce table area and nervously watched as the three Shield members surround the ring. Roman walked past me, glaring as if he was telling me not to be dumb enough to try anything. As a unit, they all simultaneously climbed onto the apron and into the ring to begin the brawl.

I watched helplessly as the Shield gained more and more momentum. Having one more person really assisted their plight. They were working hard to take care of Kane first since he was the bigger guy. Dean kept on Kane and Seth joined Roman to take out Daniel. I didn't know what they planned to do but what I did know was that I couldn't take much more of this.

I grabbed a steel chair and stealthily slid into the ring. All of the Shield had their backs turned to me and I acquired a target. I snuck up and swung my chair right into Seth's back. I kept swinging as he fell to the ground. Dean began to approach me. I swung again but missed this time. Dean ducked and dipped behind me. He wrapped around me in a single leg take down. I fell to the mat, front first. He gently held me to the ground and he put his mouth to my ear.

"Better luck next time, Sweetheart…" he whispered teasingly.

"Piss off, Dean," I growled only getting a lighthearted chuckle as a response from him.

He got off of me and tossed the chair out of the ring. I quickly got up. I watched as the Shield made their exit back into the screaming crowd. As soon as I was sure they weren't coming back, I tended to Kane and Daniel.

* * *

As we all made our way backstage I was concerned about the boys…but I had to admit that I was a little embarrassed by being so easily thwarted by Dean. He was very talented but it was mortifying to be tossed aside so easily.

We walked backstage and the two of them began to walk back to our locker room.

"Just where do you guys think you are going?"

"To the locker room," Kane said simply.

"Oh, no you aren't just yet. You guys are going to the trainers room," I ordered.

"We're fine!" D-Bry insisted.

"You have been holding your arm to your side the whole walk up the ramp. You are getting it looked at!" I insisted. "You too, Kane. Those ribs of yours took quite a beating."

"No they aren't," the Big Red Machine argued. I poked his ribs gently.

"Ah!" he seethed.

"See! I want you to at least get them looked at. You guys defend your titles next Sunday! I want you guys in tip top shape when you face the Shield. You can't let them take those titles away from you guys!" I said encouragingly.

"Oh, alright! I don't know how but you always have a way of getting me to listen to you!" Kane said with an amused chuckle.

"I'm good at this, that's why. Besides I managed you for five months when you worked with Big Show and now the past nine months…I pretty much know how you tick!" I said giving his arm a squeeze. He smiled.

"That you do and that is not an easy task!"

I escorted Team Hell no to the trainers and just as I'd predicted, Daniels arm was a little banged up as were Kane's ribs. They wrapped 'em up and we headed back to out locker room.

"Tough night, boys," I said shaking my head.

"Yeah, we'll get 'em next time!" D-Bry insisted.

"Definitely. But in the meantime, you should go back to your hotel room and rest up. We'll hit the road in the morning."

"Sounds like a good plan, Raven," Daniel said with a smile.

"I thought so too!"

"Want us to wait for you?" Kane asked.

"Nah…you guys go ahead without me…I've got plans with the girls. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!"

"Good night," the said in near unison as they headed out for the night.

I turned and reached into my bag to grab my hot new dress to wear tonight. I slipped it on. It fit like a glove. I could just tell that tonight was going to be a good night…

* * *

**So there it is, Chapter 1. Thank you for taking the time to check it out. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 2**

After leaving the arena I kept up my plans to meet up with Kaitlyn and Layla for a few drinks at a bar. I was last to arrive. Despite the crowd, the duo was quite obvious to spot. They'd grabbed a small table near the dance floor.

"Hey ladies!" I said greeting them.

"Hey girl!" Layla cheered. "About time you got here!"

"I know! Sorry I'm running a little bit late. I had to convince the boys to go to the trainers. And well… you know them, so of course, I had to go with 'em and make sure they would be fine for the pay-per-view in 13 days!" I said with a giggle.

"Those boys sure do keep you busy!" Layla observed.

"They really do but I have to admit I love almost every minute of it. Kane and Daniel are amazing people. They just rub each other the wrong way which results in a lot of shenanigans!"

"And…like I told AJ, they both have a few screws loose!" Kaitlyn joked. "Although looking back at it, I think Daniel and Kane were the saner ones compared to AJ in those relationships."

"I will not argue you there!"

A waiter approached the table with a tray. It had three tequila shots on it.

"I don't think we ordered those," Layla told the server.

"Oh, I know. The gentlemen over there bought them for you," he said gesturing to some men at a table across the bar.

"Oh my gosh! How awesome!" Kaitlyn squealed.

"Hey waiter! Bring us another six of these bad boys!" I ordered.

"Yes, ma'mn!" he said marching off.

"Alright ladies, grab a shot! It's time to get this party started!" We all threw a shot down the hatch. I relished the slow burn of the tequila as it made it's way down my throat.

"Okay, girls! Here are those shots you ordered!" our server said presenting us with our new drinks.

We took the rest off our shots and I had to admit that this outing was off to a great start. There weren't many women in this bar so the free drinks were plentiful. It didn't take long to be able to feel the buzz.

"So…Kaitlyn…excited for Extreme Rules?" Layla asked a little drunkenly.

"Absolutely! I'm going to crush that Bella!"

"Which one are you fighting again? Fake tits or no tits?" I joked.

"Uhhhh…does it matter?" she asked rhetorically.

"No, not really they both can't wrestle for shit. I don't think switching out twins to be much of wrestling!" I complained.

"So true!" the Diva's champ agreed loudly.

"What I really want to know is what the hell AJ's deal is!?" the Brit asked shaking her finger.

"That girl is absolutely obsessed with you, Kait! You oughta just kick her ass! Better yet, I'll do it sometime!" I volunteered. "The way she messed with my boys' heads, she deserves it!"

"You aren't wrong!"

A song I wasn't very familiar with came out of the big speakers. Both Layla and Kaitlyn squealed with delight.

"Uh…am I missing something?" I asked with a laugh.

"I LOVE this song!" Kaitlyn cheered.

"Oh my god, me too! We HAVE to go dance!" Layla said jumping up out of her chair.

"Oh, fine," I said reluctantly sliding off of seat to follow them onto the dance floor.

Once I got into the groove, I was a dancing queen. The music was pulsing through my body as I gyrated my hips along. The three of us stuck together in the small crowd that was also dancing. It quickly became obvious that we had a small audience of admirers. I played it up by getting closer to the other girls. We danced up on each other and the men ate every bit of it up.

"Guys! I think we need more shots!" I yelled.

"I agree!" Kaitlyn said agreeing rather quickly.

"Oh my god you guys are killing me!" Layla whined. She was the light weight out of the three of us.

"You'll be fine!" I assured her as Kaitlyn ran ahead to order more drinks. I helped little Layla into a bar stool at the bar area.

"Bottoms up bitches!" Kaitlyn cheered lifting a tequila shot to her lips. The two of us each threw down a few more shots. Layla struggled a bit.

"You know what guys? I think I'm going to head back to the hotel," she said tiredly.

"Whaaaat? Whyyyy?" I whined.

"I'm tired and I can't bring myself to drink anymore!"

"Oh poo!" Kaitlyn pouted.

"How are you getting home?"

"I'll call a cab," she insisted.

"Alright. But text us as soon as that British ass of yours gets back to your room, young lady!" I instructed a little bossily.

"You got it. Have fun girls!" she called out as she left.

We kept drinking and dancing the night away. On our next drink break, the bartender put another mystery drink in front of me.

"What is this?" I asked the bartender.

"That is what they called a screaming orgasm!" he replied with a chuckle.

"Hot," I mused. I lifted the shot and downed it. I had to admit that it was a damn good drink. "Who was it from?"

"That gentleman riiiiight there!" he said pointing. I followed the finger to see three men sitting at a table. It was the freaking Shield. Dean Ambrose was looking over with a satisfied smirk. He raised his glass in a cheers motion suggesting that he was the one who had sent the drink. I barely felt it, but my face turned from a happy smile into an irritated scowl.

"Ambrose," I growled.

"So he's the one who gave you a screaming orgasm?" Kaitlyn asked before bursting out in laughter at the sound of the phrase. I groaned.

"Eww, I bet that the phrasing was intentional!"

"Gosh I hope so!" She giggled.

"Lets get back on that dance floor!" I shouted wanting to put more distance between the Shield and the two of us.

I led her back through the crowd and we began to dance. My head was growing increasingly fuzzy from all of the alcohol. Perhaps I'd over done it this time. Regardless of that fact, I pushed on and danced through the haze and I'd practically forgotten about the Shields presence.

Eventually, the inevitable happened: I had to pee. All those drinks that went in had to come out!

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I yelled to Kaitlyn. She nodded.

"Okay!" She yelled back over the music.

I made my way out of the crowd towards the bathrooms sign at the other side of the bar. I only stumbled a little…well okay, a lot. I found the women's restroom way at the end of the hallway. It was a poorly lit hall and was kind of dingy. I waited in line behind a group of three girls that were ahead of me. Soon it was my turn and I did my business. I was the last one in the bathroom which made it a little eerie feeling. I could hear the thumping of music softly in the bar area. I recognized it as one of Kaitlyn's latest favorites. I tried to buckle my belt and it wasn't budging. I fidgeted with it for a few minutes before getting it to work correctly. I took my time fixing my hair before heading back out.

When I entered back into the hall, a man was there. He was a pretty big man and he was walking towards me. There was a big broad, drunken smile pasted onto his face. He was an intimidating in stature. He was a bit like Drew McIntyre in size…obviously it wasn't really him. He kept walking right towards me. I moved to one side to avoid colliding with him. He moved to cut me off and a wave of uneasiness coursed through my body.

"Excuse me!" I said politely.

"Now where do you think you're going darlin'?" He said putting an arm out so I couldn't pass.

"I'm going back out to my friends," I said sternly with a slight slur as I tried to pass again.

"What's the rush? Why don't you stay here an chat with me a bit?" He said running his finger across my cheek. I slapped it away.

"Don't touch me!" I growled. He immediately grabbed me by my arms, lifted me up, and shoved me into the wall. He put his face close to mine. The alcohol in my system had weakened my muscles. My head felt a little dizzy.

"I'll do whatever I please, bitch!"

"Let me go!" I yelled again, my voice getting a little lost in the sound of the sound system.

"What's the matter? Don't you want a little attention, darlin'? I saw you out there dancing in that little dress. You love attention…let me give you what you're askin' for?" he spat.

"Fuck you, you prick! Let me go!" I growled.

"Ha, not yet sweetheart."

"You'd better let her go…" A male voice called out from the hallway. I turned my head to see that it was Dean. For the first time ever, I felt a little relieved at the sight of him.

"You mind your own business, pal," the man seethed.

"I don't think you heard me…LET HER GO!" He barked in that raspy voice of his as he marched towards us.

The man dropped me and I hit the ground with a thud. Dean swung and punched the guy in the face. He didn't let up and Dean knocked him to the ground. He dolled out some kicks and punches before stepping back.

"You leave her alone! You hear me?" he yelled at the man. "I _said _do you hear me?!"

"Y-y-yes sir," he trembled.

"Perfect," he said as he knelt down beside me. "You alright, Raven?"

"Uh…yeah. I'm fine," I said catching my breath a little. I'd been a little more than scared until he showed up.

"Good." He extended a hand to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me up to my feet.

"Dean! What the hell did you do?!" Seth asked a bit panicked by the man groaning on the ground.

"Nothing, Seth…let's get out of here," he insisted.

"Dean! What the hell man?"

"That guy was forcibly restraining me in the hall, probably was going to sexually assault me. Ambrose saved my ass," I told Seth a little embarrassed.

"Oh…wow….I'm so sorry. Let us take you back to the hotel," he offered nicely.

"I-uh…no…you guys have done more than enough tonight…" I politely declined. "Have you seen Kaitlyn?"

"She left. She couldn't find you so she left. I saw her looking all over for you."

"Oh…"

"Seriously Raven…just let us take you back. It's not an imposition or anything…." Dean said convincingly.

"I just-"

My phone began to ring. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?" I said my voice shaking.

"_Rave! Thank god! Where are you?!" _Daniel asked concerned.

"I'm at Serena's its a bar down the road…"

"_Kaitlyn came to my room freaking out because she couldn't find you! I'm just glad you are okay. I'm coming to get you. Wait there!" _He ordered.

"Daniel, you don't have to-"

"_I'm picking you up and that's that!"_

"Fine, okay, bye."

"_Bye."_

I hung up and looked at back at the three Shield members.

"There's no need for a ride, Daniel has insisted on coming to pick me up."

"Alright, well we will wait with you outside until he gets here then," Seth insisted.

"You aren't going to give this up are you?" I groaned.

"Nope!" he said with a smile.

"Well fine then. Let's go outside," I said relenting as I stumbled outside of the bar.

Within seven minutes, a car pulled up to the curb. Both the driver and passenger side doors flew open. Kane and Daniel emerged. They eyed the Shield members angrily.

"Raven, is there a problem here?" Daniel asked with his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Kane added.

"Let me handle this!" Daniel hissed at Kane.

"Boys! Seriously! There is no problem. They just didn't want me to be by myself drunk outside. Relax!" I said a little too loudly.

"Yeah, Daniel, relax!" Dean taunted. I turned and shot him a 'really?' look.

"You want to fight about something?!" Daniel yelled.

"Whoa! Everybody calm down!" I yelled. "D-Bry, let's just go back to the hotel! I'm very tired." His facial expression softened.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Good. Thanks guys," I said sheepishly as I walked towards the door. Daniel opened the backseat door for me. I slid in and sat down.

"What _happened_ tonight?" Kane asked curiously.

"I really don't want to talk about it. Most of the night was fun though…"

"Well that's good, I guess. If you need to talk we're here for you…" Kane said softly.

"He's right. We're always here for you…" Daniel added. I smiled.

"Thank you, you guys are the best."

Once back inside my hotel room, I thought silently about what happened at the club. It was strange how my biggest antagonists became my saviors tonight. I knew that tonight was a one shot deal, civility wasn't in the game plan for the Shield and Team Hell No, especially with the two teams fighting for the tag titles in 13 days at the pay per view. I had to admit there was just something about the Shield that just got under my skin…

**So there it is, Chapter 1. Thank you for taking the time to check it out. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

**Smackdown…**

**Raven**

I stomped around the arena corridors. There was something about today…I couldn't put my finger on it but I was pissed off for no reason whatsoever. I wasted no time finding my locker room.

"Hey Rave!" Daniel said cheerily. "Have you seen the card for tonight?"

"Yes, I have. A match against Primo and Epico. Should be a cake walk for you guys!" I insisted.

"I sure as hell hope so," he said with a grin. "Actually, you know what? We've definitely got this."

"That's what I like to hear!"

There was a knocking on the door.

"Hey D-Bry, go get the door," I said sweetly.

"Oh, fine," he said prying himself off of the bench. He opened the door. "Hello?"

"Hi Mr. Bryan, I've just got a delivery for Raven!" I looked over to see the woman hand him a small present.

"Okay, thank you very much," he said politely before closing the door. He turned back to me. "Gift for you…" I took the box from him.

"I wonder who this is from," I said curiously.

"Probably Ran-dy," he scoffed. Daniel hated Randy with a passion especially after I dated him. It was a constant source of tension when Randy was present.

"Oh, be nice," I scolded as I took the card off of the top of the box and ripped open the envelope. I slid the card out to read it.

It read: '_Just in case…' _It wasn't signed.

I looked at it a little confused. I set the card down and I cautiously unwrapped the small box. I used my long nails to rip the tape holding the box flaps shut. The inside was full of packaging peanuts. I dug through the styrofoam pieces and finally found something else inside the box. I wrapped my hand around it and pulled it from the box. It was a container of pepper spray . Since nobody but the Shield members knew about the close call in the bar, I knew the sender had to be somebody in the Shield. If I was a betting woman, I'd put my money on Dean Ambrose.

"Pepper spray? Who would have sent you pepper spray?" Daniel asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

"I have no idea…" I fibbed. "Guess somebody is just playing a practical joke on me."

"I guess so…it's not very funny…"

"Yeah…it really isn't….So your match is coming up in like ten minutes….how about you go find Kane and stretch. I'll meet you guys at the curtain?" I suggested.

"Good idea. See you soon, Rave," he agreed before heading out.

* * *

As soon as he left the room, I released the breath I'd been holding. Why would Dean send this? Was he trying to make light of how serious that situation could have been? Was he trying to get in my head? I had no idea. I tightened up my black sequined boots and headed towards the curtain.

"Funny seeing my favorite boys here!" I joked as I approached them.

"We're glad you're here. We need your eyes out there tonight," Kane said seriously.

"Yeah I know. I have a bad feeling that they'll try to interfere. We need alert and careful out there."

"You got it, Rave," Daniel said happily.

The boys opponents, the Rhodes Scholars were just finishing up their entrances. I nervously but excitedly adjusted my outfit in anticipation of our own entrance. The guys got into position and I took my place between them. Kane's music began to play. Our goofy little trio headed out onto the stage.

We walked seriously down the ramp as the dark music played before ducking into the ring. I headed to the middle of the ring and braced myself. Daniel plugged his ears. Kane raised his arms before slamming them down, signaling for his classic pyrotechnics to shoot from the ring posts. It was loud and caused your ears to ring for a few seconds but it was so cool to look at this close.

The lights came back up to normal. I dipped back through the ropes to exit the ring. The bell rang, causing the match to get under way.

* * *

The match had only been going for five minutes when the Shields music chimed through the arena. I felt myself freeze up a little as the three men made there way down the stairs. My feet had a mind of there own as they led me over to that side of the ring protectively. I felt my eyes narrow as I stared down the whole lot of them. The Shield members stayed put on the other side of the barricade. I relaxed a smidge and looked back into the ring. It was obvious that the mere presence of the three men in black was enough to rattle Kane and Daniel. They started out so focused and now…they were shaky at best. It was as if they were trying to brace themselves for the attack from the trio.

I heard a thud and immediately turned around. Dean had jumped the barricade.

"Get out of here, Dean!" I spat.

"Fuck off Sweetheart," he rasped.

"Screw you!"

"You'd like that!"

"Leave her alone!" I heard Daniel yell from behind me. I turned to see him yelling from the ropes, his beard swaying along with his words.

"Daniel, watch out!" I screamed too late.

Primo had snuck behind him and pulled him into a roll up. 1...2...3! We'd lost…to Epico and Primo. I shook my head embarrassed as Dean rejoined the Shield. They laughed and mocked us all the way up the stairs.

I angrily punched the mat and let out a small scream of frustration. The Shield was slowly ripping our trio a new one. We couldn't go a single night without having them interrupt their matches or ambush us. It was getting embarrassing. We were once seen as the most dominating forces in the tag division…now we were becoming a joke.

* * *

"God damnit, D-Bry! What were you doing!?" I whined as we made our way through the curtains.

"I was telling off that jerk Ambrose!"

"You let him distract you. You took your eyes of the prize!"

"I was trying to protect you, Raven!" he snapped.

"What?"

"He was giving you trouble. I didn't want him anywhere near you. I'm keeping you safe. I don't care about a stupid non-title match…I care about you," he said with his hands on his hips. I felt my stern facial expression soften. I took a big breath.

"I…I'm sorry. You're right. It was a match that doesn't really matter. I appreciate you looking out for me, Daniel. I was just looking out for you too. I hate to see you boys lose. I would have gladly taken a few hits to get you a win."

"We know. That's why we worry. You really put yourself in harms way for us a lot. We appreciate it, we just don't want you to get hurt," Kane interjected.

"Aww, I love you guys….and we'll get 'em next time."

"Exactly! Besides _I'm _still the tag team champions!"

"No _I'm_ the tag team champions!"

"No…_I'm_ the tag team champions!"

"_I'm _going to murder _both_ of the tag team champions if you don't knock this shit off!" I teased with my hands on my hips.

We made it peacefully back to our locker room and I sat down to examine what was left on the card. My skimmed it and my eyes fell on a very intriguing item.

'_Three-on-three tag team match: The Shield Vs. Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio, and Kofi Kingston.'_

I felt a devious grin creep across my glossed lips.

"Uh oh. She's at it again…" Kane said shaking his head.

"What are you up too now, Rave?" Daniel asked curiously.

"I just…had a great idea," I said deviously.

* * *

**Dean**

I stood confidently holding the rope at the Shields corner during our three-on-three tag match. Tonight was a good night to be a Shield member…actually being a member of the Shield in general was good. We were on a roll since debuting. After next Sunday, we would all be champions as well.

Roman was completely tearing it up in the ring. He was making Sin Cara wish he'd never set foot in the squared circle to begin with. Suddenly, the high flier maneuvered his way away from Roman's grasp and managed to knock him over.

"Come on, Rome! Tag out!" I yelled.

"You're doing great, bud!" Seth cheered supportively.

Roman rose to his feet and stumbled over to our corner. I was itching with anticipation. I reached my hand out and received the tag. Sin Cara had also tagged out. Kofi Kingston came rushing into the ring. He ran at me attempting a clothesline. I ducked and spun around, slamming my fist into his face. We exchanged a series of blows with neither of us getting the upper hand. Kofi's speed and agility were hard to keep up with. I caught a lucky break and was able to counter his attempt at a hurricanrana. I slammed him onto the mat. We began to brawl on the ground when some very familiar music began to play through the arena.

It was Kane's music and the music that was used for team Hell No as of late. I looked over to the guys.

"What should we do?" Seth yelled.

"Go catch them at the ramp, I'll finish this," I said gesturing to Kofi.

The duo hopped off the apron and darted up the ramp. I kicked Kofi and backed up in order to kick again when I spotted a person on the apron. Raven Stone. I grinned and stepped towards her.

"Go back to where you belong, Sweetheart," I snapped. She only smiled. Which should have made me realize that this woman was up to something awful.

The next thing I knew, my eyes felt as if they were on fire. Raven had fucking sprayed me with pepper spray…likely the one I'd bought for her. I wiped at my eyes desperately to no avail. I couldn't see. I felt a hard whack to my head. A familiar hit at that. It was a Trouble in Paradise kick. I felt myself hit the mat, dazed.

1...2...3

We'd lost. As a small amount of my vision returned, I saw Raven standing on the other side of the barricade. She had the smuggest smile on her face as she wiggled the bottle of pepper spray in the air.

She was sooo going to pay for this.

* * *

Seth helped me to my feet and we made our way backstage.

"What the hell did she spray you with man?" he asked holding back a laugh.

"Fucking pepper spray. That venomous bitch," I spat.

"Where did she get pepper spray? Is that something she just had lying around?" he babbled curiously.

"Why does that matter?"

"I don't know. Aren't you curious?"

"No."

"What do you know about it?" he asked investigating further. He knew me too well.

"I uh…I sent her the pepper spray."

"Aww man, you're an ass!" Roman said scolding me.

"It was a joke!"

"The woman nearly got sexually assaulted on Monday night and you thought it would be funny to get her pepper spray…really? What were you thinking man!" the Samoan said loudly.

"What can I say? I have a sick sense of humor."

"I hate losing as much as the next guy…but seriously, you really deserved the pepper spray to the face!"

"I'm just glad she only got you with it. She must have known it was you who sent it," Seth chimed in with an amused smile.

"Even so, she's going to get hers on Monday man, I can promise you that," I said determined.

"Dean, why do you feel the need to mess with this girl? You should really focus on beating Kofi for the United States Championship next Sunday instead," Seth warned.

"Oh, don't worry, I have Kingston under control. And as far as Raven is concerned, I just do it because it's highly amusing. She takes things way too seriously."

"You're sure it isn't because she's like really hot?" Roman asked curiously.

"That's irrelevant. Once you steal her hoodlums titles, the fun will be sucked from it and we can focus on something else…like being the champions we'll all be as of Sunday!"

"Whatever you say, Dean," Seth said shaking his head unconvinced.

If things between the two groups weren't already heating up, they sure were now...

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**Raw**

**Raven**

I sat all dressed and ready in my gear for the show in the Team Hell No locker room. My high heeled ankle boots clicked against the chair leg as I anxiously swung my legs back and forth. The boys had been booked for separate matches tonight, both against members of the Shield. With the recent escalation between the two teams, I had a right to be nervous. Never in the Team Hell No tag team championship reign had a team proven to be more of a threat to us than the Shield. Plus the fact that I'd sprayed pepper spray in Ambrose's face had kind of taken this rivalry to a whole new level.

"Raven!" Daniel called out. I nearly fell out of my chair in surprise.

"For fuck's sake, you scared me!" I spat as I tried to get my heart rate back down.

"Aww I'm sorry, Rave!" He said coming up behind me and giving me a hug around the shoulders.

"It's alright, Daniel, I was just a little lost in my own thoughts."

"Well I just wanted to come grab you for my match. As the first match of the night, we've got to be on time!"

"Thank you for coming to get me. I totally was spacing out. Are you nervous? I asked following him out of the door into the hallway.

"No!" He said loudly. I couldn't help but chuckle at the use of his catch phrase.

"Good. Where is Kane?"

"At the curtain. He is all focus tonight."

"At this point, that is exactly what we need."

* * *

We continued our walk to the curtain and walked straight up to Kane. He was positioned near a monitor as the Raw entrance video began to play.

"Why aren't you in front of the curtain?" Daniel asked, pushing his title onto his shoulder.

"I was informed that the show would kick off with Vickie Guerrero. Apparently she has something to say," Kane said sharply. He wasn't in a very sociable mood tonight evidently. I nervously watched the screen as our managing supervisor of Raw made her entrance. I was very curious to learn what she had to say that warranted pushing our match back a few minutes.

Through all the booing she made it into the ring and began to clear her throat.

"_Welcome everybody to Monday Night Raw! As your acting managing supervisor of Raw, I have put together quite a show for you tonight. But before we can get underway, I do have an issue that I have to address. Last week on Smackdown…there was an interesting incident between members of Team Hell No and the Shield. Raven Stone came down ringside and sprayed Dean Ambrose in the face with an unknown substance…Now I shouldn't have to tell you that this is considered unacceptable behavior here in the WWE. So the board, Booker T, and I have no choice but to dole out a suitable punishment. Therefore, I am forced to fine Raven Stone $5,000," she screeched._

I angrily grabbed a mic from the sound tech.

"Come on boys, we're going out there now!" I growled. Our music began and I came stomping out onto the stage. "Hey, Vic!" I jeered.

"Have you come out here to make a public apology for the pepper spray?" she sneered.

"Cute, Vic, real cute. I would never dream of apologizing to that jackass. He's been asking for it...so why don't you zip that giant hole you call a mouth and head back backstage where you belong…"

"How dare you! I-" She began to squeal when I put my hand up to silence her as I continues to walk down the ramp.

"Bye-bye, Vic…" I cooed. She relented and whined all of the way past us and up the steel ramp as I laughed. I know that it seemed ballsy to take a swipe at the managing supervisor but with my reputation and popularity with male fans, I had very solid job security. She knew it and I knew it. "Now that she's gone, it's time to get down to what matters. That being the fact that my men…Kane and Daniel Bryan, Team Hell No, the reigning WWE tag team champions, have a title defense this Sunday at Extreme Rules. 2/3 of the Shield are going to be climbing into the ring with my monsters here to try to take away the gold. The Shield…to put it simply, are a trio of incompetent losers. They always have to team up on their opponents, always playing the numbers game. You know what I think of that? I think that means they are all cowards. Fucking cowards." I looked over to Daniel. "I might need your help a little on this one. Are the Shield cowards?" I asked putting the mic in Daniels face.

"YES!" D-Bry yelled.

"Are they a group of pathetic little weaklings?"

"YES!" He yelled again.

"Are we going to beat the living shit out of them on Sunday night?"

"YES!"

"Will Team Hell No leave Extreme Rules as the god dammed WWE tag team champions!?" I yelled with a wicked smile.

"YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" he chanted some more, they crowd chanting along with him. We climbed into the ring

That's when the Shield made their entrance.

They were not pleased as they headed down the stairs and through the crowd. Dean especially wore a horrible scowl. They all hopped over the barricade and entered into the ring. Dean made a point to stride right up to me , getting into my face. I didn't back down one bit. We stood nearly nose to nose.

"You're messing with the wrong guys here, Ray-ven," he spat. I could feel his minty breath hit my lips.

"You have no idea who _you _are messing with, Ambrose," I growled.

"You are going to regret the day you sprayed me, Sweetheart," he said poking me in the shoulder. I scoffed.

"You are going to rue the day you set foot in my ring," I said making contact with his chest and pushing him backward. Suddenly, I felt Kane's giant arms circle my waist and yank me from him.

"That's enough," the big red machine insisted as he carried me towards the turnbuckle as I squirmed and swatted in Dean's direction.

"You two…out of the ring," the ref yelled at us. "You two, out!" he yelled turned to Dean and Roman.

We did as we were told and the match got underway. Kane stood close to me like a protective big brother, making sure to keep himself between me and Dean at all times. He really was a sweetheart despite what people thought of the masked man. Although he'd be mad if I told anybody.

The match progressed with the two men battling for control. It was going quite swimmingly for D-Bry. As usual, he was flying all over the place, his beard flipping around as he hit Seth senseless. That's when I noticed that Dean and Roman were on the move.

"I'm going in," I said quickly to Kane as I shuffled over to where Ambrose had begun to climb onto the apron. He saw me coming and dipped into the ring. I slipped into the ring after him. I ran across the apron as fast as I could with my high heels on. Ambrose got out of the ring but I wasn't so lucky. The referee stepped into my path, stopping me.

"Raven, you need to get out of the ring. Now!" I was instructed.

"But he-"

"Now!"

"Fuck you!" I said spitting on the mat in disgust before turning to exit the ring. I heard a thud and turned to see Daniel had been rolled up.

1...2...3

I let out a piercing scream in pure anger and frustration. They got us again…or should I say Ambrose got me again. I hurried over to Daniel who was laying on the mat holding his groin. Obviously he was hit with a lowblow.

"You okay, D-Bry?" I asked with concern.

"Mmmhm."

"I'm so sorry I got in the way!" I said apologetically.

" 's okay," he mustered.

"Uh, Raven? Maybe you should wait and have this conversation when he isn't nursing sore junk," Kane said being unintentionally comedic as he pulled the smaller man to his feet.

"Right," I said feeling a little insensitive as we helped him out of the ring.

* * *

Later that night…

Once again I found myself ringside. Kane was taking on Roman Reigns. It was a power blowout. Both were big men that could really pack a punch. It was almost overly brutal to watch. I looked around to see if anybody was looking at me. Nobody was. I slowly began to mosey around the ring. I began to get pretty close to Seth and Dean. They eyed me closely as I neared.

"Come back for more, sweetheart?" Ambrose sneered. I smiled sweetly and punched Dean straight in the throat. He began to cough and I hopped onto the edge of the apron.

"Get her!" he ordered hoarsely between coughs. I ran around the apron.

"Hey Roman!" I yelled out. He looked over at me causing a distraction. Kane delivered a big boot to Reigns' chest and went for the pin.

1...2...3!

I ducked into the ring and leapt into Kane's big, strong arms.

"You did it!"

"With a little help!" he said sounding amused.

I hopped back down before Kane was struck in the back by Seth and Dean.

"Out!" Daniel yelled at me.

I moved to the steel stairs and stood at the top, watching nervously as they got teamed up on by the three men. Finally, Kofi came bounding down the ramp. He was Dean's opponent for Sunday after all. It was an out of control 3 on 3. At one point, Daniel took a particularly rough kick to the head and dropped to the mat like a sack of potatoes. The perpetrator was quickly taken out by a kick by Kingston. I climbed back into the ring, amongst the chaos and tried to help D-Bry to his feet. Once he steadied, I released my grip. I turned to look for Kane. I didn't see him. I was a bit concerned as I turned back around only to see a collision that was much to late to fix.

I was hit by what felt like a fucking train. I felt the impact and fell backwards with incredible force. My head felt tingly and almost light headed. I stared up at the ceiling, my vision spotted. Then the world went dark…

* * *

**Dean**

Seth hit me in the arm and pointed to Roman. He was standing over Raven who was completely knocked out cold. Things really had gotten out of hand.

"Come on, man," he said urgently. I nodded and followed him back into the ring.

"Oh my god," Roman said a little freaked out, running his hands through his hair.

"What the hell did you do?" Seth asked.

"Obviously he speared her in half, Seth," I spat.

"What should we do?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? She's not our problem. She's theirs," I said pointing to Daniel and Kane's fallen bodies. They laid groaning in their respective spots.

"I hit a girl, man. I can't just leave her here," The big man insisted.

"I'm with Roman. We're taking her with us." I looked at them both and rolled my eyes.

"Fine. You two are ridiculous and getting soft on me!"

"Its not being soft, it's being human being..." Seth spat seriously. I shook my head.

Roman scooped the fit woman into his arms and carried her out of the ring. Her brown and blonde hair swayed with every step. I couldn't believe we were taking the enemy back with us to our secret locker room. It made us look weak. But I guess there was just something about Raven that was just so captivating that they couldn't find it in their hearts to leave her behind. I had to admit I felt guilty. We didn't mean for things to get so out of control in that ring. We didn't want her to get caught in the physical crossfire…

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

* * *

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

**RAW**

**Dean**

We arrived back at our locker room with an unconscious Raven still in Roman's arms. I threw the door open in frustration. Tonight hadn't gone as planned.

"Dean, help me put some chairs together so we can lay her down," Seth said firmly. He stared at me with the most serious of expressions on his face. I sighed.

"Oh, alright," I said relenting as I reached for more of the steel chairs. We set up four chairs in a row and Roman laid her down gently. Seth balled up one of his sweatshirts and placed it underneath her head.

"So what now?" Roman asked.

"I'll go get one of the doctors. You two stay here with her. Don't let anybody else in here," he instructed.

"I'll go get the doctor, you can stay here with her, Seth," I offered. "I didn't want to bring her back here in the first place."

"No, I'll go," he said earnestly as he headed out the door. I sat down in a chair, crossing my arms across my chest. I looked over at Roman. He was sitting with his face in his hands.

"What's eating you?" I asked him. He put his hands down to reveal his face.

"This is my fault. I didn't see her behind Bryan, man. I just didn't see her…" he said sadly. "What if she's hurt really bad?"

"You've seen her out there all of these years. She gets hit all of the time and always bounces back. She's a tough ol' bird," I said trying to assure him it would be fine when I wasn't so sure. A regular hit to the head was one thing but getting hit with one of Roman's spears was another.

"I really hope you're right."

"I am, Roman." It was silent in the room for a minute. I heard a thump and saw that Raven's hand had fallen and hit the ground. I reached for her manicured hand and picked it up, holding it between my two hands. I gently maneuvered it and set it onto her toned midsection.

"Dean?" I heard the Samoan say softly.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you feel the need at act like such an ass?"

"What did I do now?"

"Just now, you were kind and gentle with Raven. But out there in the ring…Why pretend that you wanted to leave her out there? I know you aren't an animal, Dean. You knew bringing her back with us was the right thing…still you had to fight it," he said seriously. I felt my jaw tense. I hated that he knew me so well.

"It makes us look weak. We can't afford this right now. We need to keep looking strong and fierce."

"It's okay to look human. We made a mess and now we have to clean it up. We can be ferocious on Friday night Smackdown, we can be dominant on Sunday at Extreme Rules." I didn't say anything in rebuttal, I only nodded. He had a point, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of me telling him so.

* * *

**Raven**

I heard familiar voices talking as I began to come to.

"I think she's waking up…" I heard the deeper voice say.

"Fuck me, I think you're right," the raspier voice chimed in. "Guess you didn't kill her after all!"

"You are seriously an asshole."

I slowly opened my eyes to see Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns looking at me. I immediately shot upwards and regretted it. Pain immediately shot through my midsection.

"Whoa, take it easy, Sweetheart," Dean scolded.

"What the fuck?" I spat wincing at the pain radiating in my rib cage. Dean put a hand on my shoulder.

"Just lay back down. The doctor is coming," he instructed. I did what I was told only because sitting up was quite painful.

"You guys are fucking kidnappers! Why wouldn't you just take me to the trainers?" she growled with her eyes closed.

"See! Told you!" Dean spat at Roman.

Just then the door swung opening revealing Seth and the Doctor.

"She's up!" Seth chirped.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up." I said waving them off. "Hey Doc."

"Hey there, Raven. I've come to take a look at you. You took quite a hit out there," the doctor said as he moved towards me.

"Okay," I managed to muster.

"Good. Gentlemen, maybe you should wait outside."

"Of course. We'll be in the hall," Roman said diplomatically.

They headed out into the corridor and the doctor had me sit up despite the discomfort. He checked pupils, concussion symptoms, and reflexes. Then he felt around my ribs. I winced and tried not to react too much. He pulled some ice packs out of his bag and began wrapping my ribs in them, securing them with bandages.

* * *

After fifteen minutes of examination, I finally asked him the question I'd been dying to ask.

"How bad is it, Doc?" He looked me in the eyes and put a hand on my shoulder.

"No concussion and miraculously, no broken ribs. Although I suspect one of your ribs has a slight, small fracture. The rest are simply bruised."

"Oh good," I said breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'll give you some pain killers for it. Ice those ribs when you can and keep them wrapped," he said seriously.

"Will do."

"And you must take it easy. No cardio, no weights and absolutely no wrestling…for two weeks. I'm serious, Raven. Two weeks."

"I know, I know."

"Good. I'm going to head out of here. I'll see you on Raw to see how you're doing."

"Okay. Thanks, Doc."

"You are welcome."

He left the room and I sat, doubled over in one of the chairs. The members of the Shield entered the room once again. I immediately tried to get up. I winced as I angered my aching rib cage. I rose to my feet but failed to completely straighten out my midsection.

"Raven, where are you going?" I heard the Samoan ask concerned.

"I'm getting the fucking hell out of here. I need to find my boys!" I spat anxiously. I knew they must have been pretty banged up if the Shield was able to swipe me from the ring with little to no difficulty.

"Just stay here and rest a little," he said softly.

"I can't stay here. I need to go!" I insisted as I slowly tried to walk to the door.

"Here, let me at least help you," Seth said quickly as he swooped in. He moved an arm around my back, supporting my weakened frame. "Just lean some weight on me." I begrudgingly relented, quickly realizing that without him it was going to take forever to get back. I put my arm behind him a little, placing my hand on his shoulder for stability.

We headed into the hallway. It was awkward and silent initially. Then he broke the silence.

"We are so sorry about this, Raven. Roman feels especially awful. He's really beating himself up thinking about it. I mean, we have no problem messing with our opponents but we never meant to hurt you," he said convincingly.

"I know he didn't mean it. Doesn't mean I'm not a bit pissed off about this but it's a risk I take when I climb into that ring. Tell Roman I'll be fine."

"I will. Although he'll still feel guilty."

"Good, hopefully it'll knock him off his game Sunday," I joked. Seth chuckled.

"That must have been your master plan all along!"

"Oh, you know it," I said laughing but immediately feeling pain. "Oh ouch, laughing hurts."

"Lucky for you I'm not very hilarious." I smiled and tried not to laugh again.

"Lucky me!"

We continued through the hallway until yells were heard from down the hall.

"Kane! I found her!" Daniel called out. "Rollins! Get your filthy hands off of our Raven!"

"Yeah, asshole! Let her go immediately or I'm going to kick your ass!" Kane spat as he and Daniel neared.

"Fuck off!" Seth growling.

"All of you knock it off!" I said loudly.

"Raven, is he hurting you?"

"No, boys. Relax. He's just helping me find you guys." The two eyed Seth carefully.

"Okay," Daniel said timidly. "We'll take it from here." He moved to the opposite side of where Seth was. He slipped his arm behind me and I leaned on him instead. Seth released me completely.

"Thank you, Seth," I said softly.

"You're welcome."

"Seriously, Rollins, thanks for taking care of her…" Kane said quickly. It surprised all of us.

"No problem," he said before turning and heading back to the Shield's locker room.

* * *

At the insistence of Daniel and Kane, we headed over to the hotel immediately after heading back to our locker room. They escorted me back to my room and I changed into my pajamas.

"Get into bed, young lady," Kane joked. "You really do need your rest."

"I know, I know. I just hate feeling like I'm not at 100%" I whined.

"We all hate that. So what exactly was the Doctors diagnosis?" Daniel asked.

"Bruised ribs and one possible fracture. No physical activity for two weeks. I'll be fine, so relax."

"Damn, we are really going to miss you ring side on Sunday. We really could have used your presence there. The Shield are the biggest competitors we've had to face during our reign," he said disappointedly.

"Oh, I'll be ringside," I insisted.

"What? You're nuts. You can't possibly be out there that soon!"

"Look, you two are my clients, my friends, my teammates…I will be down there cheering you on for your title defense."

"How? You'll be in a lot of pain and in danger!" Kane said protesting.

"I've already figured this out. I'll just wear some protectors. Like those rib protectors some quarterbacks have on the field. I'll wear it underneath a shirt and I'll be fine in the off chance that I get hit by somebody."

"I don't know, Rave…that is just reckless…" D-Bry said shaking his head.

"I know but I'd do it for you… I'll stay out of the way, I promise!"

"We'll see, Rave. We'll have to think about this and figure it out later. Sound good?'

"I guess so."

"Good. Unless you need something else, we are going to head to our room next door," Daniel said seriously.

"I'll be fine. Go!" I insisted.

"Okay. Goodnight!"

"Night, boys."

* * *

I almost restlessly laid in my bed. Despite how eventful my night was, I wasn't exhausted like I was other nights. I flipped through television channels carelessly until I found Family Guy reruns on. I relaxed a little and had a few laughs. That's when a knock occurred on my door.

"Who is it?" I called out.

"It's Randy."

"Randy?"

"Yeah. Kaitlyn game me the spare key. Mind if I use it?" he asked. I smiled at the mere mention of my former boyfriend.

"Come on in."

The door opened and Randy came into my room.

"Hey stranger, I brought you some ice cream. It's Peanut Butter cup, your favorite," he said pulling a pint out of his bad.

"My hero!" I joked.

"I try my best. It's horrible for you but I know it's one of your comfort foods!"

"You did good."

"How are you feeling?"

"So very sore," I said softly. "Gonna be a little uncomfortable for a little while. No big deal."

"You took a hell of a spear out there. Scared the shit out of everybody….and then those bastards had the nerve to kidnap you…" he said shaking his head angrily.

"They didn't hurt me…well besides that spear. All they did was take me to their locker room and got me medical attention."

"That you know of! I just want you to know that I'm going to get those bastards. I'm going to RKO every single one of them for you. Nobody gets to lay a hand on Raven Stone and get away with it!"

"You're damn right," I said with a painful chuckle.

I dug into my ice cream and lounged around in my bed next to Randy. I tried my best to try and shove the events of tonight from my mind. It was another night with another bizarre interaction with the Shield members. It all left me a little conflicted. Although they acted tough and fearless, I was starting to believe that there were redeemable qualities in each of them. Not that anybody would believe me if I them that….

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

* * *

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

**Smackdown**

**Raven**

Despite the doctors discouragement, I showed up for Smackdown with my bandaged battle wounds. It wasn't like I was asking to be injured again…I was just feeling a lot better than I did on Monday. It was only uncomfortable when I laughed or yelled so for the most part my bruised ribs were no problem.

"Oh my god, Raven! What are you doing here?" I heard Kaitlyn squeal as she sped up to walk with me down the hall.

"I work here!" I joked knowing full well what she meant.

"You should be resting at home, not here!" she scolded.

"Eh, I can't just abandon my boys, they need me here!" She shot me a look.

"Have you at least been taking it easy since Monday?"

"Yes actually, just so I could be here tonight!"

"You are nuts, lady!"

"Aren't we all a little nuts?"

We finally arrived at my destination, the team Hell No locker room. Kaitlyn, as always couldn't resist poking her head in to say hi to the guys.

"Sup boys?" she chirped.

"Hey Kate!" Daniel greeted. "I see you found our Raven!"

"Yep, what the hell is wrong with you boys? She got bulldozed on Monday. She has bruised ribs and you two let her show up here tonight!" she scolded with her hands on her hips.

"We tried to make her go home!" Daniel admitted. "She wouldn't do it!"

"You should have tried harder!"

"Have you tried saying no to Raven!? She's impossible!"

"Hey! I'm right here!" I yelled.

"You know I'm right!" he argued.

"Alright, fine! I _am_ difficult!"

"Ha, yeah she is. Well I'm going to take off…you boys better take care of Ray out there tonight!" she ordered.

"We will, we promise," Kane said seriously. Kaitlyn smiled in approval before she made her exit out into the hallway leaving me with the boys. I directed my attention to them.

"So how are ya, D-Bry?" I asked curiously. I had a feeling something was up.

"Just a little concerned, that's all."

"About what?"

"Our match tonight. It's just Kane and I versus Rollins and Reigns. Ambrose will most definitely be ringside. I just know that we're going to get overrun. We can't get hurt tonight…we have Extreme Rules on Sunday!" he rambled. I put my hands on his shoulders.

"Calm down. You will not be injured tonight. Let me take care of this, alright?"

"Okay…okay…thank you, Rave."

"I'm your manager, it's my job!" I insisted. "Besides, I have to pay a visit to the GM anyways."

* * *

I made my way to General Manager Booker T's office. As always, I just walked in.

"Booker!" I cheered happily.

"Well looks like trouble has arrived!" he joked as he gave me a gentle hug so he didn't hurt my ribs. Luckily for me, this was the Gm that didn't hate me. Actually Booker enjoyed me quite a bit which always helped my clients when he was GM.

"You know me, Book!"

"I do. That's why I knew you were going to show up despite your injury!"

"You couldn't keep me away!" I said with a smile.

"About that, Raven….I _can_ technically keep you away. I don't really feel comfortable having you ringside tonight."

"Book…you can't do this! Not this close to Extreme Rules! My guys need my support out there god damnit!" I spat impatiently.

"I understand your concern but I can't have you out there injured. We both know you get involved and I can't have you hurt any more than you are right now. You need to take it easy and watch this one from the locker room," he said sternly. I paused a moment, wracking my brain for a solution.

"Counter offer: I get to be ringside…but safely on commentary." My GM eyed me carefully.

"Fine. Stipulation: I am having a line taped near that commentary table. You cross that line and you are going to be sitting in my office on Sunday night instead of with your team. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll behave, I promise," I said with a pleased smile on my face.

"You better. I'm serious."

"I will, Book."

"Good. Anything else?" he asked.

"Well…yeah. I don't want to push my luck here but I'm not very happy about Team Hell No's match tonight."

"I figured," Booker said with a hearty chuckle.

"Just here me out. Even in a tag match, the Shield is a trio. Ambrose is going to be all over that match…and I can't help even the score if I'm on timeout at commentary!" I pointed out.

"Alright, here's what I'm going to do. It's going to be a 3-on-3 tag match. The Shield versus Team Hell No…and whoever you can get to agree to be their partner."

"Perfect. Thank you, Booker. I really appreciate this," I said as I gave him a big hug despite it causing a slight discomfort in my ribs.

"No problem."

"Well I've gotta take off…the match in in twenty minutes, I don't have much time!"

"Alright, Take care of yourself, Raven!" he called out as I trotted out of the room.

* * *

After leaving his office, I set out to find a third person for this tag match. I looked at a copy of the card to try to determine who hadn't been scheduled for a match already or somebody who wouldn't mind taking on a second match tonight….that's when the perfect candidate popped into my brain.

I knocked on his locker room door loudly, actually pretty obnoxiously.

"Come in!" I heard him yell. I swung the door open and he glanced in my direction.

"Hey handsome…"

"Hello, Raven. To what do I owe this surprise visit?" Randy asked with a flirtatious smirk.

"Do I ever really need a reason?" I shot back at my former boyfriend.

"Never."

"I do have a question for you…a favor actually."

"Yes," he said immediately.

"Yes?"

"Yes. I say yes."

"You don't even know what the question is!" I said with my hands on my hips.

"Okay fine…shoot."

"I know this is short notice but do you want a match tonight?"

"Yes! What am I looking at here?"

"It's a six man tag. You'd be teaming with my boys against the Shield. You still in?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm in. I'll see you guys at the curtain."

* * *

Team Hell No's music began and we headed down the ramp. I sternly walked down the ramp, ready to get down to business. I climbed into the ring, using the steel steps. Diving into the ring wasn't a very good choice for my bruised ribs.

We stood in the middle of the ring waiting for our other team mate.

"So who did you get for this anyways? Kofi?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Uhhh…"

"Does it matter?" Kane asked D-Bry.

"Yes, it does matter, Kane," he spat in return. Just then Randy's theme began to play. Daniel immediately snapped his head in my direction. "Seriously? Of all people…him?"

"Hey! He agreed to help us out. Can't you just be grateful for him giving us a hand here?"

"Fine," he said with a huff.

Randy moved methodically to the ring and climbed inside. I couldn't help but be a little in awe of his toned physique as he took to the turnbuckle to do his signature pose. Kane must have noticed my gaze because he gave me a gentle nudge in the arm. I looked over at him with an embarrassed smirk. Not wanting to smile in front of the fans, he opted for a subtle wink. It likely went unnoticed by viewers under his mask.

The Shield's entrance snapped all of our attentions where they needed to be. I felt a wave of anxiety come over me as I caught sight of the trio. They were trouble…trouble that almost split me in half last week.

The climbed into the ring and met us in the middle.

"Feelin' better, Sweetheart?" Dean said almost mockingly.

"I'll be even better when my boys whip your ass tonight!" I spat.

"I see your being an optimist today…"

"I'm being a realist, asshole."

The referee walked over and separated us.

"Raven, you've got to get over to the commentary table. Booker T's orders," he said as nicely as possible. I nodded.

"Good luck boys," I said giving Kane, then Daniel a hug. I placed a hand on Randy's arm. "You make sure my boys come out with a win!"

"You got it," he said with a grin.

I dipped out of the ring and hopped onto the floor. I stepped over the white taped line near the commentary desk to take a seat next to JBL. He handed me a headset.

"We are being joined here on commentary by the Rowdy Ringmaster herself, Raven Stone!" Jerry chirped excitedly.

"What a lovely introduction, King. It's good to be here!"

* * *

The match began rather smoothly. Randy and Team Hell No were working rather well together which was a little bit of a surprise. Unsurprisingly, it didn't last and unfortunately it was nearly impossible for a team working horribly together to beat a well oiled machine like the Shield.

Roman ran at our corner and knocked Randy and Kane off of the apron and into the barricade leaving Daniel to fend for himself. He wasted no time tagging in Dean. He swaggered in and walked over to D-Bry, who was in a pile on the mat. Dean took his hand and grabbed a handful of his mane of hair, pulling him up to his feet. The cocky man then tossed the smaller man out of the ring. Daniel landing with a loud thud. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I immediately rose to my feet.

"No! No, no, no, no!" I screamed. A wicked smile crossed Ambrose's face as he once again picked up poor Daniel. This time, his head was slammed onto the table in front of me. I couldn't bare to look. I ripped off my headset and turned around so I couldn't see the destruction. Again and Again, his skull bounced off of the table until he flew back ward wards and onto the mat. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and whip me around.

"How do ya like that, Ray-ven?" he asked drawing out the syllables of my name. This enraged me. I got all up in Dean's face while also standing behind the designated line.

"You go fuck yourself, Dean! You wish you were half the man my men are. They have more talent in their pinky fingers than you have in your entire miserable body!" I seethed.

"You awful witch!" he sneered. I could feel his minty breath on my lips, we were standing that close. "You can't excel on your own so you have to hide behind-"

He was interrupted by Randy Orton running up behind him, grabbing him by the vest, and shoving him into the steel stairs.

"Holy shit…" I said catching my breath.

"Ray, you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?" Randy asked concerned with his hands on my shoulders. I shook my head.

"No…no, I'm fine."

"Good," he said relieved.

"Hey, Randy?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Finish these bastards!" He nodded with a devious smirk.

Daniel rose to his feet and crawled into the ring as Randy tossed Dean back into it. Somehow, my little bearded warrior got the pin…1...2...3!

I stood in shock and awe as D-Bry's music blared through the arena…they'd finally defeated the Shield. I was so happy for them. It was a great momentum to have going into a title defense on Sunday. I stepped over the taped line and climbed into the ring to hold my boys' hands up in victory.

Despite the big win…I still had a bad feeling. I knew this wasn't over but with the Shield you really don't know what to expect…or what comes next. All I knew is that I would do nearly anything to ensure Team Hell No holds onto those title belts...

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

* * *

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

**Extreme Rules**

**Raven**

I was just pulling into a parking stall at the arena in my rental when my cell phone began to ring. I shifted the car into park and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello my Little Bird!" A male voice chimed.

"Daddy?" I asked hopefully.

"Your one and only!"

"I'm so happy to hear from you! I tried calling you earlier!"

"I know. I was working in the garage! You know I never get reception on this damn phone out there!" he said in a huff. I chuckled.

"I know, Dad, I don't take it personally. Although I would like to know why you are still trying to get that darn car to work! It's a lost cause!"

"Nothing is a lost cause my dear no item, no person. I'll show you, this baby is going to run!" he said convinced.

"I'll believe it when I see it!" I teased. He was relentless when it came to fixing these old cars.

"Well I guess that means you have to come visit me! I haven't seen you in months, Raven," he said with a chuckle but I could tell that he was being serious. I did feel a little guilty but with a job like mine, time to visit family was sometimes difficult to come by.

"I will, I promise….actually I think we have a show in Nashville in a little bit. I think I can make some time while I'm there to visit my ol' man!"

"I'll be counting the days. What are you up to?"

"Sitting in the arena parking lot. We've got Extreme Rules tonight!"

"Why on Earth are you at the pay-per-view? You are hurt! You should be resting safely at home or at least at the hotel!" he scolded.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine! Just sore! I'm not wrestling, just managing! I'll be okay, the boys will protect me," I insisted.

"You tell Daniel and Kane that I'll have their asses if you get hurt out there tonight!"

"Will do."

"Good. Well I don't want to keep you. Good luck out there, Birdy, stay safe."

"Will do, Dad. I love you!"

"I love you too. Bye."

* * *

**Dean**

I sat lacing up my boots in the Shield locker room when Roman and Seth walked in. As always they were already dressed for combat while I was the last one to get geared up.

"Still taking your time I see," Seth joked.

"Fuck you, man. Excellence takes time!"

"Guess you're still waiting on that excellence then, huh?" Roman chimed in.

"Hey! What is it, rag on Dean day? Assholes!" I muttered with a chuckle.

"Don't be such a wuss!" Seth spat.

"I'd kick your ass if you didn't have such an important match tonight, douche!"

"You wish you could!"

"Will you both shut up!" Roman said with a chuckle. "It's time to talk business. First thing's first, the tag match."

"Well I don't think we need to talk much about that. I mean, Roman and I go in and kick ass! Boom! Done," Seth said enthusiastically.

"You two want me out there?' I asked curiously, assuming they would.

"Yes. We need you to keep an eye on Raven. She's sneaky as hell and we don't want her touching that match out there."

"Tame Raven? You got it!" I said with a smile.

"Dean…" Roman said slowly.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Do not harm that girl… I swear to god! Booker will be all over us for that. You know how much he favors Raven."

"Yeah but Vickie hates her!" I pointed out. Roman shot me a look. "I'm kidding. I wasn't planning on hurting her. That's your department, big guy," I said hitting him in the shoulder playfully.

"Ass!"

"You love me!"

* * *

**Raven**

After my talk with my Dad I was in excellent spirits as I walked out onto the ramp, flanked by Team Hell No. I wore a smug expression on my face as we headed down to the ring. Daniel's hands were being thrown about as he chanted 'No' out at the audience. I stepped up the steel stairs and moved into the center of the ring. I nervously adjusted the plastic protective piece I had surrounding my ribcage as per my agreement with the WWE doctors and Booker. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world but it was better than being stuck backstage watching this match from the monitor.

As the Shield made their way to the ring I grabbed both Kane and Daniels arms to get their attention for a little pep talk. I could see the nervousness on their faces. This was their toughest title defense yet.

"You two listen to me. You've got this. Don't let the fact that Dean is here ringside or the fact that they are undefeated in the WWE get into your head. Remember that you two are amazing wrestlers, two of the best this business has ever seen. These punks have attacked you week after week…you better make them pay. Don't let them take these from you!" I said slapping their tag belts. "Go get 'em!" They nodded and we watched as the Shield joined us at the center of the ring.

"Stone," Dean murmured cockily a foot from my face.

"Ambrose," I returned with scorn.

"We meet again…"

"So we do…I give you my condolences in advance…"

"Oh, that won't be necessary, Sweetheart."

The ref signaled for us non-participants to exit the ring and then it all got started.

* * *

As the match forged on Daniel and Kane were working quite well together. If they had been doing this well together the entire time they were partners it would have made all three of our lives much easier. Obviously there were windows of time where the Shield gained full control but together, Team Hell No were able to overcome it.

Dean paced on the opposite side of the ring racing back and forth like I was on my side. While we both watched the ensuing fight like protective caretakers, Dean watched me an awful lot as well. Watching, waiting, and strategizing.

I looked up to the ring to see Seth getting scolded by the referee. The ref having his back turned wasn't seeing the beat down Roman was dishing out to Kane in the corner, illegally. I scoffed and stepped up onto the apron.

"What the hell, Chad!?" I screamed at referee Chad Patton. "Did you just see that? It's cheating! They are cheating!"

"Raven, you need to get down," he said sternly.

"I will get down when you take fucking control of this match like you are supposed to!" I growled.

"Down!" he yelled.

"How dare you! I- Hey!" I spat before I felt myself lifted up and carried the two steps down to the apron. "Put me down you ass! Ambrose, put me down!" He did.

"There! Now will you shut the fuck up?"

"Go to hell you ass! How dare you even lay a hand on me!"

"I'll do as I please, sweetheart. You were holding up the damn match with your whining!" I slapped him across the face. He looked at me, holding his hand to his freshly slapped cheek. A smirk adorned his face. "You're going to regret doing that!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He lunged forward, towards me. I quickly began to run in my wedged boots around the ring. Due to my lack of sensible footwear, Dean was right behind me. My ribs began to hurt, I wasn't supposed to be doing any cardio.

Suddenly, I heard a big thud…followed by another thud. I quickly turned to see Daniel and Dean laid out on the ground. Daniel must have dove through the ropes to hit him. Another thud brought my attention to the ring. I hurried over and knelt down next to my fallen client.

"Daniel? Daniel!"

"Mmmmn?" he mumbled. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on, we've got to get you back in there."

With D-Bry down, Kane was left alone to contend with Roman and Seth. I looked up at the ring to see a horrible predicament.

"Kane look out!" I screamed. It was too late. He was hit with the dreadful spear from Reigns. I tried to lift Daniel to his feet to no avail. "Danny, hurry!"

1...2...3!

The bell rang and my jaw dropped in complete shock. My boys were no longer the tag team champions. A 245 day title reign…it was all over now. I felt sadness overcome me as I climbed into the ring to tend to Kane.

"Kane? Kane, sweetie? Are you okay?" I asked as I put a hand on his chest. His eyes opened.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he said sitting up. "I just want to go." I nodded slowly and dipped out of the ring. Daniel had gotten to his feet and the three of us walked up the ramp as the smug Shield members celebrated.

* * *

None of us said a word as we solemnly headed back to the locker room. The guys sat quietly in the room for a moment, resting their tired muscles. I watched sadly as the disappointment washed over them. I couldn't help but feel guilty for causing any sort of disruption. I shook it off and watched the other matches on the card.

Two more matches passed and then the United States championship was up. Seeing that announcement, both Kane and Daniel excused themselves to hit the showers. I watched as Dean and the Shield reappeared. Seeing them in possession of that precious title gold made me sick. They didn't deserve it, they didn't earn them fair and square. Don't get me started on Dean. He didn't deserve to win gold tonight either…but he'd likely cheat his way into a victory.

I stood up and walked right out of the room, into the hallway. I stomped through the corridors on a mission that I wasn't quite aware of. Instead of heading towards gorilla I passed through into the public portion of the arena. Despite the match in progress I stepped out into the crowd and walked down the stairs. As I walked I pulled the brass knuckles from between my cleavage and slid them onto my manicured hand. At first I went unnoticed but it didn't last long. Soon the fans reached out to touch me but I pushed on. I reached the barricade and hopped it.

I immediately froze, not knowing what to do from here. In the ring, Dean was showboating over a beaten down Kofi. At that moment, instinct and anger took over. I approached the ring and jumped onto the apron.

"Raven, get down!"

"The Shield…they have weapons!" I fibbed as I pointed towards the other two Shield members outside of the ring. The referee looked at me unconvinced. "Seriously! Just go over and look." The referee relented and went to take a look leaving me next to Dean.

"Miss me already, Sweetheart?" he asked cockily.

"Oh, I don't plan on missing," I snapped before swinging at him with my brass knuckled right hand. It made contact with his face. He immediately dropped to the ground. "Kofi! Kofi cover him!" I yelled as I hopped off of the apron.

The referee turned to look at me as I tried to walk a few feet from Dean to make me look less guilty. I removed the brass knuckles and slid them back into my cleavage.

"Hey! You know what? You're outta here, Raven!"

"Aww come on, Charlie!" I begged Charles Robinson, the referee.

"Sorry, you've got to go. You have no reason to be here!"

I sighed and nodded before looking up to see Roman deliver a spear to Kofi. He quickly put Dean's arm over the champion before rolling out of the ring.

"He cheated!"

"Not buying it this time!" he said sternly. I walked away pouting. The bell rang and I knew that Dean had actually won. I kicked the barricade and let out a frustrated scream. It wasn't fair… he didn't deserve to leave this arena with a title when my boys were leaving empty handed.

Dean smiled a mischievous smile and held up his new gold. He looked directly at me, taunting me and my failures tonight. The new tag champs joined Dean, showing off their new belts as well. I felt my eyes narrow and I turned around to continue up the steel ramp.

My mind was immediately a buzz with ideas for how to proceed from here. Obviously what we were doing wasn't working anymore. Something needed to change. I silently promised myself that I would return those belts onto Team Hell No's waists…

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

* * *

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

**Monday**

**Raven**

"Raven! Daniel! Can we get your autograph!?" I could hear voices shout as Team Hell No and I got out of our rental in the arena parking lot. I popped the trunk and Kane immediately began unloading our belongings from it. I adjusted my dress and took my things from the pile. We headed towards the arena door which had barricades on either side holding back all of the fans who'd been waiting for superstars and divas to arrive. I smiled and walked up to some with the boys.

"Well what do we have here? How you all doing today?" I said loudly as I took a picture from a fan to sign.

I continued to sign and take pictures for the next ten minutes. I loved my fans and without them I wouldn't be here so I always spent extra time signing autographs and responding to tweets on twitter. I truely enjoyed it so it didn't feel like work.

"It's Dean! Dean! Over here!" I heard somebody yelled. A shiver ran down my spine. I stopped and then turned my head to see Ambrose and his Shield buddies in the distance. I decided to act indifferent to him by continuing my interactions with the fans. I was so busy concentrating on ignoring him that I wasn't paying much attention to space around me.

"Raven, how nice to see you!" Dean mustered with a cocky grin, his breath on my neck, his hand on my shoulder.

"Eat me!"

"Maybe later," he said with a wink. I saw Daniels mouth drop open in shock.

"Gross. I'd leave but I don't want to disappoint these amazing fans!" I said smiling at the star struck people in front of us.

"Don't you worry. I'm here for the fans too."

"I'm sure you are."

"I am. Here, Raven. Be a doll and hold this so I can sign a few autographs," he said holding out his new United States Championship belt.

"Not a chance," I scoffed at him before turning my attention to the fans. "Sorry guys, I've gotta run now and get ready for the show!"

I picked my things back up and headed for the arena, grumbling. There was something about that man that just infuriated me…

* * *

**Dean**

After signing a few autographs I rejoined my comrades near the arena door.

"Just couldn't help yourself could ya?" Roman scolded with a look of amusement.

"What ever do you mean?" I asked coyly.

"Dude, nothing you do is subtle."

"I think that's a part of my charm!"

"You have charm?" Seth joked. I whacked him in the arm. "Hey!"

"Dick!"

"Dumbass!"

"How am I a dumb ass?" I asked.

"Because you keep poking the bear!" Seth accused.

"What? Raven? She's hardly a bear!"

"Are you kidding? When you mess with her team she's like a damn Mama grizzly! I know that it's all fine and dandy for you but we are the ones who actually have to climb into the ring with Team Hell No." I eyed him before looking to Roman for support.

"I kind of agree with him," the big man said with a shoulder shrug.

"Oh, come on!…Fine! I'll lay off her. You guys are no fun!" I called out as we continued through the building.

* * *

So far, our first Raw as champions was pretty damn satisfying. I proudly sat in my chair with a lap full of gold. All of my hard work, all of my blood, sweat, and tears have brought me here. Years and years of training and work in the Indies have culminated into this: a championship in the largest wrestling promotion in the world.

"Hey Rome, turn that up!" Seth said pointing to the television. I looked to what was so interesting to him.

On the screen was Raven, leading her team down the ramp with a vengeance. A determined scowl overtook her face. As the match proceeded, she screamed and shouted like a military general! This was the most vicious I'd ever seen Raven…I liked it. It suited her.

"Shit! She is feisty tonight!" I chuckled.

"Yeah, imagine how much more successful she'd be if she was this aggressive and determined all the time," Roman mused.

"No kidding."

The bell rang and Team Hell No stood victorious in the ring. Raven slid into the ring as well, microphone in hand.

"_Justice…it's a word that is thrown around a lot around here. A word that has become a favorite of a faction in this company. Being used as some sort of excuse to attack and bludgeon people who do things they don't approve of. So instead of doing what's moral, they dole out their own special breed of injustice. Last night one of these injustices occurred. Team Hell No was cheated out of their titles, plain and simple. Look at them! Hard working wrestlers who don't cheat or cut corners. They just come out here night after night and leave it all on the mat in good ol' fashion competition. They play fair, they play honest… and isn't that the type of person you want and deserve to have as your champions!" _She spoke enthusiastically. I had to admit that her charisma was one of her best assets. Always so well spoken.

Vickie Guerrero emerged onto the stage.

"Ha! This should be good!" I murmured with an amused chuckle. "Look at the expression on Raven's face!"

"She is the last person Raven wants to deal with," Roman said shaking his head.

"_Listen here, little girl! In case you've forgotten, this is my show!"_

"_Of course it is, Vick! You remind us of that EVERY time you set foot in front of the cameras!"_

"_I don't appreciate you coming out here and hijacking my show, holding it hostage with your little sob story!" _she mocked with her screeching voice. _"So why don't you take your little losers and go backstage where you belong?"_

"_Listen here, Vickie. My boys aren't losers. They were reigning champs for 245 days! The fourth longest reign in history! Those tag titles belong on those men's waists immediately. Now I demand they get the rematch that they are entitled to!" _She yelled.

"_You want your rematch? Fine…Next week on Raw…"_

"Well, boys looks like you've got yourself a rematch."

"It's okay, we'll be ready for them," Seth said determined.

"Hell yeah, we will," Roman agreed.

* * *

**Friday Morning**

**Raven**

"So what do you boys have on your agendas after lunch?" I asked Kane and Daniel as I took a bite of my salad.

"Probably going to get in some cardio, shooting hoops with some of the guys," Daniel said with a non-committal shrug.

"Must be nice having Kane on your team since he practically is as tall as the hoop!" I joked.

"MVP right here," Kane answered with a smile. "You could come and watch us if you want. We've grown quite fond of you being our cheerleader!"

"It's tempting…I mean I would but I can't."

"Oh, what do you have planned?" D-Bry asked curiously.

"Actually I'm doing a Make-A-Wish. A little boy named Liam wanted to meet me!"

"How cool! Who else are they meeting?"

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of times they let them meet a few superstars. Like Kane and I will both meet a Make-A-Wish child," Daniel said clarifying.

"Oh, well I never asked. They approached me wondering if I'd do it and I immediately agreed. It didn't occur to me to ask additional questions!" I said with a giggle.

"I'm sure it'll be somebody like Randy or John. Fans love those guys so naturally they are high in demand."

"That wouldn't be so bad!"

"Yeah if it was Randy, your old lover boy!" Kane teased.

"Oh I'm sure she'd love that, a whole afternoon with Randy and his dreamy tattoos and chiseled abs…."

"Oh shut up!" I spat silencing Daniel. "You be nice. He's just my friend now. A good friend a that."

"Yeah, yeah. I just don't trust the guy, Rave," he said protectively.

"I know you don't but I think you're being unfair to him. He's never done anything to me that would even justify how you feel about him!"

"He's your friend, you guys used to date. So you may be a little biased here. You don't see what he's done. You see him in a different light," D-Bry observed.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then, dear."

"I guess so."

* * *

I hurried through the arena hallways to the correct room for the Make-A-Wish meeting. I swing the door open to see a room of people including the Make-A-Wish representative and the WWE Public relations director.

"Sorry, I'm a few minutes behind schedule!" I apologized as I set down my bag, not looking at the room in it's entirety.

"That's quite alright, Ms. Stone. Liam and his family are on their way into the arena as we speak." I nodded and began to drudge through my purse to locate my lip gloss.

"Aww look, she finally showed!" I heard an all too familiar voice coo. I immediately grimaced. I looked up to see a smug Dean Ambrose take a seat at the table. Disapointment immediately washed over me. I'd been hoping it would be Randy. Instead I was trapped here with fucking Dean! This threw a wrench in my hopes that this would be an enjoyable afternoon.

"Of course I showed, Dean," I snapped. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. What are you doing here?"

"Meeting Liam of course. He wanted to meet yours truly!" he bragged.

"Gross. Evidently your pompous arrogance isn't translating on screen with the same grating effect that coming in contact with you in person brings," I said with a nice smile. I didn't want to act immaturely in front of or PR reps.

"Just as your very charmingly bitchy and manipulative personality does."

"Hmm cute."

The door swung open and a wheel chaired little boy was pushed through the threshold.

* * *

**Dean**

The next hour or so was a truly amazing experience. To be present with a child fighting a serious disease…he was such a valiant and brave little boy. It was an enlightening experience. Currently, Raven was crouched down next to Liam's wheelchair talking to him and his Mom. She nodded and laughed but I could see that she was brimming with emotion.

Our visit with Liam was drawing to a close and pictures still needed to be taken. Raven posed with him for a couple and then we switched, finally we took some with all three of us.

"Good luck little guy," I said to Liam, roughing up his hair a little bit. I felt a lump rise in my throat. My voice was now barely a whisper. "You keep fighting!"

"I will, Dean," he said with a smile. Raven gave him a big hug.

"You are such an amazing kid. Thank you so much for coming to meet me. You'll always be my champion," she said with eyes brimming with tears, glistening.

Liam was wheeled out of the room with all of his signed photos and gear that we gave him, the biggest smile on his face.

"You just gave my son the best day of his life. Thank you for this," his mother said with a glimmer in her eye.

"The pleasure was all ours," I said softly. Raven just nodded, nearly unable to speak.

* * *

The room cleared out and I turned to the little spitfire who'd been rather quiet for the past few minutes.

"Never would I have pegged you for the sappy type," I teased knowing full well that it had struck an emotional cord within me as well. She just looked at me a moment.

"You are just an asshole," she whispered as she marched off. I just stood there for a second knowing that I shouldn't have done that.

"Raven! Wait!" I called out and headed down the hallway in search of the buxom diva. I scanned the hallway to no avail. I decided to head towards her locker room. I knocked on the door. It opened to reveal the masked Big Red Machine.

"What do you want?" he spat.

"Is Raven here? I just wanted to talk to her," I said confidently.

"Fuck off. She doesn't want to talk to you!" he said slamming the door in my face.

That's what I get for trying to be a nice guy. I walked away from their door and headed down the hall, kicking a trashcan over on the way. If this is how she wanted to play this, so be it…Game on.

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the WWE or its superstars. The only thing I own is my original character. This is a complete work of fiction.**

* * *

**Fanning the Flames**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

**Raw: Two Weeks later…**

**Raven**

I entered the Raw arena feeling incredibly defeated and a little embarrassed. I couldn't help but be haunted by Team Hell No's title rematch. It had been a week and still I could see it so clearly.

_Kane and Roman both were crawling towards their respective ring corners. Daniel and Seth got the hot tags and dove into the ring. After a few minutes of fighting for dominance, Seth found himself groggy in the corner. Daniel ran at Seth readying himself for his flying knee to the Shield member's face. He missed and the ducking Seth struck him before bumping into the referee, knocking him over. Roman was practically salivating at the gained opportunity. He looked around waiting to make his move. I was so focused about what was happening within the ropes that I hadn't noticed where Dean was. _

"_Today isn't your day, Sweetheart," he chuckled with his raspy voice. I turned to glare a him. _

"_Why don't you bite me? You are such a stup-" Without warning I felt a metal bracelet envelope my wrist. Handcuffs! He attached the other cuff to the bottom rope._

"_Don't tempt me," he said before walking away._

"_God damn it, Dean! Let me out of these!" I yelled yanking my wrist desperately. "You're a bastard!"_

_The ref was coming to and due to Roman's interference, Seth had Daniel covered. Kane tried to dive into the ring but was stopped by Dean driving a chair into the back off the Big Red Machine's knees. He dropped off the apron and onto the ground. The ref didn't even see it._

_1...2...3_

_I let out a scream._

It was humiliating. I had to be sawed out of those stupid handcuffs as Kane and Daniel argued in the ring. We looked completely unraveled. Even a week's worth of time hadn't done much to improve my mood….especially when Smack down played replays of the ordeal.

I entered Team Hell No's locker room. It was silent despite the fact that both of the boys were in the room. It was strange and almost uncomfortable. I knew I had to do something because the morale in this locker room was in desperate need of a boost. Losing the titles AND the rematch was really tough on them…and me.

"What's the plan, Rave?" Kane asked quietly, sitting down next to me.

"Why do you think I have a plan?"

"Because you always have a plan," he said with a soft chuckle. I smiled.

"I have a plan…it's a long shot though. But…it might just work."

"At this point we are willing to do whatever it takes to get back to being champions…" He said seriously.

"Okay."

"Whatever you want to do, do it!"

I nodded, already knowing exactly what I wanted to do. It was all I'd thought about since our defeat one week prior. I just needed to put it to action and hope for the best.

* * *

The show was nearly twenty minutes in by the time I'd stolen a camera guy and brought him back to the Team Hell No locker room.

"Alright boys, it's show time!" I announced.

"Uh… what exactly are we doing? Did you schedule us a match or anything?" Daniel asked scratching his beard.

"Nope. We are filming a little video for the Shield. It's obvious that playing this nobly wont work and getting involved physically in their matches doesn't get us anywhere. We used up our rematch already and they aren't obligated to give us another one…"

"You think the video will get them to give us one?" Kane questioned.

"If we play our cards right. We're going all in here, boys. All or nothing."

"Okay, I'm in."

"Me too," D-Bry agreed. "You do the talking, Rave."

"I planned on it…are you boys ready?" I asked as they each stood on one side of me.

"It's now or never."

I took a deep breath and looked at the camera. I gave him the signal to start filming.

"I stand before you a woman that can admit defeat. However we weren't defeated last week nor were we at Extreme Rules. The record books may say Team Hell no have lost but we are far from it. The Shield are cowards…they aren't capable of winning solely based on merit. They only can succeed through number advantages and cheating. It's truly despicable. Seth, Roman…if you are the competitors you say you are, you'll put your money where your mouth is. If you're willing to give Team them a rematch, we'll make you a deal. If we lose, Team Hell No wont challenge for the titles for the remainder of your reign. The ball is in your court, Shield."

* * *

We sat and waited and waited for a reply from the three in men in black. The anticipation was killing me. If they turned us down, that was it…we'd have to re-earn our spot as number one contenders. I knew that it could be a long time until they could get another shot.

The show came back from commercial and a shaky handed camera view came across the screen. All three Shield members came into view. I felt myself breathe in sharply.

"_Team Hell No…wow…just wow. You boys better keep your woman on a leash. We all know she's having you bite off more than you can chew…" Dean hissed._

"_We've kicked your asses twice when the belts were on the line. We have no doubt that we can do it again," Roman added stoically._

"_We'd love to have you freaks out of our hair for good. But we have a problem…the offer you put out just wasn't good enough for us," Seth spat with a smug grin._

"_Luckily for you guys and little Miss Raven, we are giving you a counter offer. Tonight, per Vickie Guerrero, there will be a contract signing. You show up, we'll tell you our offer and you can take it or leave it….See you soon…" Dean rasped with a hint of a smile on his lips. _

I released the breath I hadn't really been aware I was holding. I felt a little disheartened. They hadn't jumped at the offer as I'd hoped they would.

"Wow, guess we've got ourselves a date," D-Bry joked about the signing.

"You guys aren't mad?"

"No! Of course not, Raven. You're trying. At least they are going to negotiate. That's already more than I thought they would give us. Take pride in that," Kane said putting his arm around me and giving me a little, reassuring squeeze.

"Oh alright. I just have a bad feeling about what they are going to ask you guys for. I mean, this deal can't be good!" I spoke quietly, a little paranoid.

"If it's outrageous, we walk away. We'll earn another shot the ol' fashioned way!" Daniel insisted.

"Okay, we just got to prepare ourselves for this confrontation. You know WWE contract signings never go smoothly without incident."

"You're absolutely right, Rave, but don't worry. We are so ready for this. Besides, what can they ask for that would be all that bad. If it's a stipulation… we do it…simple as that. What kind of stipulation would be bad enough to not go through with the match? I can't think of one," Daniel said eagerly.

"You're right…we've got this…You know what, I'm going to go on a quick walk to get focused. I'll meet you at the curtain?"

"Sounds good," Kane said with a knowing smirk. I took a lot of walks before big events. It calmed me a little bit.

* * *

I walked the halls for awhile. Unintentionally, I got a little lost in my own thoughts. I was brought back to reality as I heard my name yelled out after me.

"Raven! Raven!" I turned around to see the dashing Viper coming towards me.

"Oh hey, Stranger."

"Hi. On another one of your walks?"

"No!"

"Liar. I saw you pass by my locker room door three times in the past ten minutes," he said calling me out.

"Okay, fine! I'm nervous!" I admitted.

"It's okay to be nervous. You're up against the Shield. You can't be sure if you can trust them or not. You know they wont attack you, maybe Kane and Daniel, but not you."

"That's what I'm worried about. Who cares if they are number one contenders or not if they can't compete!"

"That's a valid point," he said with a chuckle. "Just be on guard. Trust yourself, have faith in those misfits you call a team." I smiled. He always thought I was crazy for managing the mismatched duo despite the complete success they've been.

"If you insist."

"Now take a big breath and get to that signing! You've got this," he assured me as he enveloped me in a big hug.

"Thank you, Randy," I said grateful for the pep talk. My former beau really had a knack for calming my neurotic behavior at times.

"No, problem. Be safe out there!"

"I'll try."

* * *

Soon it was game time. Vickie made her way out to the ring, microphone in hand. She stopped perpendicular to the big signing table. We were up next. I took a breath and our music began. The three of us walked down the ramp with determination flowing through our veins. We dipped into the ring and approached the table, waiting for the dastardly trio to emerge. They left the entire arena in suspense for a minute before they joined the festivities. The Shield sauntered all the way down the stairs, being pestered by row after row of fans. After jumping the black barricade, they crawled into the ring. Dean had a mocking smirk on his face. Just seeing it sent a shiver down my spine. They had something awful up their sleeves, I just knew it.

"Alright, guys. We're here! What do you want from us?" I asked impatiently.

"Hold up, Little girl!" Vickie interrupted. "This is _my_ show. _I _am in control. Do you understand me?"

"Oh yes, mamn! I really, really do. Have at it, Vick!" I spat rudely. She glared at me.

"Alright. So this contract states that a tag team title match will commence at Payback on Sunday! If Team Hell No wins, they become the champions. If the Sh-" She was interrupted by Dean grabbed the microphone.

"I've got this. If Seth and Roman win, Team Hell No gets no more title shots AND…well, remember this is a take it or leave it situation….no more negotiation…"

"Will you just spit it out."

"Fine. If they win, Raven joins the Shield…." he said smugly. He tapped the contract on the table sarcastically.

My heart began beating a million beats a minute. I looked over at Daniel and then to Kane. Each of the men shook their heads no. Looks of disapointment on their faces. Both of the Shield members participating, signed the contract one after another. They looked over at us methodically. None of this made any sense! Why would the Shield want this? Were they trying to make a ridiculous stipulation hoping we'd flake out? I had no idea.

I grabbed Kane and Daniel and pulled them backwards for us to talk away from the Shield's earshot.

"Nope! No way!" Daniel said pacing a little.

"We can't do this. We don't want to be champions that bad. We can earn another shot another way!" Kane said determined.

"But I th-" I tried to interject but got interrupted.

"You're right. Let's go!" Daniel said suddenly. Kane began to follow him. I began to do the same. I was halfway underneath the rope when I stopped and reversed back into the ring. I marched back to the table and snatched the contract off of it. I aggressively signed the contract in the Team Hell No space. As their manager, my signature was just as binding as theirs. I knew they would never put up my management contract. If it was happening, it'd have to be my doing. Kane and Daniel ran back into the ring, shocked at what I'd done.

"See you Sunday," I growled to our enemies. The Shield's jaws dropped to the floor in surprise. They thought they'd deterred us. They thought they'd won. But I was going to show them not to mess with Raven Stone!

"Oh we're going to have so much fun with you, sweetheart!" Dean sneered.

Suddenly Team Hell No had lost it. They attacked the Shield ferociously. Soon the five men were all tangled up. It took seconds of Vickie screaming for help to get a stampede of referees from the back to break up the mess.

Kane and Daniel were released first and we all walked up the ramp. All I could think about was how crazy this all is. If things got this out of hand tonight, I could only imagine how out control things could get on Sunday with so much on the line…

* * *

**Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest story. Keep on reading to see what Raven gets herself into and see more of the Shield! Feel free to leave me some reviews and feedback!**


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